Best Online Christian Colleges and Universities for Master’s Degrees 2025

Badge for BEST ONLINE CHRISTIAN COLLEGES-FOR MASTER'S DEGREES

Published: Oct 4, 2022
Updated: Oct 28, 2024

The best Christian colleges and universities for earning a master’s degree provide a wide variety of advanced degree options for online students.

Key Takeaways

Christian colleges and universities typically offer students the opportunity to pursue both traditional and faith-based educational options as part of a spiritual campus community.

Students interested in an online graduate education from a Christian college or university have a wide range of options for top advanced degrees such as MBAs, MSCs, and master’s degrees in areas like criminal justice, cybersecurity, Christian ministry, and more.

The faith-based institutions included here offer the best online master’s degrees among Christian colleges and universities.

Table of Contents

Top 10 Online Christian Colleges and Universities for Master's Degrees in 2025

Duke University
Fordham University
Baylor University
Saint Louis University
+3
Loyola University Chicago
–1
DePaul University
Duquesne University
+5
University of San Diego
+10
Texas Christian University
–1
St. John's University
+1

2025 Ranking Update

Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.

In 2025, the top ten schools in our ranking of the best Christian colleges and universities for master’s degrees saw a considerable amount of movement. The University of San Diego gained the most ranking positions as the university implemented several updates that cater specifically to master’s students, enhancing both academic and career development opportunities. USD’s Career Development Center has expanded its offerings for graduate students, including personalized career coaching, workshops, and networking events designed to support students in various stages of their careers. This targeted support is particularly valuable for master’s students who may be balancing their studies with professional growth or career transitions.

Additionally, new academic programs and advanced coursework have been introduced, especially in global leadership and humanitarian action. For instance, the Master of Science in Global Leadership (MSGL) includes specialized courses on ethical leadership, global business communication, and managing cross-cultural teams, which are crucial for students preparing for roles in international business.

The Master of Science in Humanitarian Action (MSHA) program offers updated courses that address modern challenges, such as climate-driven displacement and data visualization for humanitarian needs, providing students with practical and analytical skills for impactful careers in the humanitarian sector. These developments position USD as a forward-thinking institution for master’s students interested in global and socially responsible fields.

Featured Programs

25 Best Online Christian Master’s Degree Programs

Overview of Christian Colleges and Universities

Why earn a degree from Christian college or university?

Graduate students who attend Christian colleges and universities have the opportunity to participate in advanced academic programs within communities of shared faith and values. Many top Christian colleges and universities offer online classes as well as fully online graduate programs. This makes it possible for Christian students to earn advanced degrees in both secular and religious academic programs while balancing personal and professional responsibilities.

What kinds of degrees can you get at Christian colleges and universities?

Christian colleges range from community colleges to top-ranked universities. This means you can complete both undergraduate programs like associates and bachelor’s degrees, and graduate programs, like master’s and doctoral degrees, through an array of accredited Christian colleges and universities. Most degree levels are available to online students as well as on-campus students.

What will a Christian college prepare you for?

Students at Christian colleges and universities can typically choose from the same variety of degree programs as students attending secular colleges and universities. This means students can prepare for popular liberal arts pathways like criminal justice, business management, and early childhood education; STEM careers in areas like cybersecurity, data science, and health sciences; and faith-based degrees in areas like Christian ministry and Christian counseling.

Woman with glasses looking off into the distance

Do Christian colleges offer a lot of online graduate degrees?

As the popularity of online degrees increases, Christian colleges are increasingly offering online classes to cater to today’s students. Online programs through Christian universities typically offer access to the same content, curriculum, and credit requirements as brick-and-mortar programs. The number of highly regarded fully online Christian universities is also growing. Online Christian colleges and universities offer remote learning opportunities while still offering access to a community united in its shared faith and values.

Do you have to be a specific denomination to get a master’s degree from a Christian college?

Anybody can earn a master’s degree from a Christian college. Though Christian colleges can be denomination-specific or non-denominational, most Christian colleges and universities allow students flexibility to practice their own religion while still enjoying the close-knit feel of a Christian college. If you are non-denominational, and are strictly interested in a Christian college because of the academic programs offered, online degree programs may be a great fit for you.

Online Master’s Degrees from Christian Colleges and Universities

Why get an online master’s degree from a Christian college?

Top online Christian colleges offer excellent graduate degree programs for online students. Students pursuing graduate degrees are often already working in their profession. Online degree programs offer an excellent alternative to on-campus education, especially for working professionals who must balance online learning and job responsibilities.

What can I do with an online master’s degree from a Christian college?

Students who earn graduate degrees from online Christian school can qualify for all the same career opportunities as students earning their graduate degrees on-campus. The vast majority of Christian colleges and universities offer graduate degrees in a full spectrum of disciplines. For Christian students interested in a graduate degree steeped in faith, many Christian colleges offer graduate degrees both through traditional and online education.

What will I study with an online master’s degree from a Christian college?

Most online master’s degrees will include a focus on your core discipline alongside a faith-based education. Many online Christian colleges will offer opportunities to learn through both secular and Christian lenses. The top online Christian colleges will prepare students to apply their skills in both secular and faith-based settings. For instance, if you are pursuing an online MBA through a Christian college or university, you may be able to take secular courses such as Theories in Business Leadership alongside faith-based courses such as Christian Business Ethics.

Are online master’s degrees from Christian colleges respected?

Accredited Christian colleges are respected. Before you consider graduate programs or graduate programs offered by Christian colleges, make sure the schools on your list are accredited by the Colleges and Schools Commission in your state. This accreditation is also important if you plan to qualify for federal financial aid.

What qualities should I look for in an online master’s from a Christian college?

Finding the best online Christian colleges for a master’s degree will depend on the features you’re seeking in a higher education. You may receive better personal attention by choosing from online programs with a low student to faculty ratio, for example. And if you’re looking for affordable online Christian colleges, you may want to begin by looking for schools nearby with in-state tuition rates. You may also wish to contact individual schools to learn more about school-based financial aid programs.

Interested in getting an advanced degree in religious studies from a secular college? Check out the best research universities for earning a degree in religious studies.

How do we determine the best online Christian colleges?

Methodology

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

Find other top schools with a look at these Online Degrees.

Or learn more with a look at our University Rankings Guide.

Check out our Guide to Life for Grad Students for more tips and insights on choosing the right advanced degree for you.

Or get valuable study tips, advice on adjusting to campus life, and much more at our student resource homepage.

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Best Online Christian Colleges and Universities for Master’s Degrees 2025

Key Takeaways

Top 10 Online Christian Colleges and Universities for Master's Degrees in 2025

2025 Ranking Update

Featured Programs

25 Best Online Christian Master’s Degree Programs

Last Year’s Ranking:

Career Outlook for degree at Duke University

Career Outlook for degree at Fordham University

Career Outlook for degree at Baylor University

Career Outlook for degree at Saint Louis University

Career Outlook for degree at Loyola University Chicago

Career Outlook for degree at DePaul University

Career Outlook for degree at Duquesne University

Career Outlook for degree at University of San Diego

Career Outlook for degree at Texas Christian University

Career Outlook for degree at St. John's University

Career Outlook for degree at Liberty University

Career Outlook for degree at Creighton University

Career Outlook for degree at Samford University

Career Outlook for degree at University of Detroit Mercy

Career Outlook for degree at Xavier University

Career Outlook for degree at Fairfield University

Career Outlook for degree at Oral Roberts University

Career Outlook for degree at Abilene Christian University

Career Outlook for degree at St. Bonaventure University

Overview of Christian Colleges and Universities

Why earn a degree from Christian college or university?

What kinds of degrees can you get at Christian colleges and universities?

What will a Christian college prepare you for?

Do Christian colleges offer a lot of online graduate degrees?

Do you have to be a specific denomination to get a master’s degree from a Christian college?

Online Master’s Degrees from Christian Colleges and Universities

Why get an online master’s degree from a Christian college?

What can I do with an online master’s degree from a Christian college?

What will I study with an online master’s degree from a Christian college?

Are online master’s degrees from Christian colleges respected?

What qualities should I look for in an online master’s from a Christian college?

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect from an online college course?+

Is online college easier than campus-based college?+

Why does accreditation matter in online college?+

Will I be able to transfer my online college degree?+

Will employers respect my online degree?+

What are the disadvantages of online classes?+

What are the advantages of online classes?+

Resources for Online College-Bound Students